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Wolf Control ?

Anyone got any news on what is going on with the wolves and the feds? Seen a little blerp on the news a couple week ago that they de-listed, but haven't heard anything since. Hope we're gaining on some control.

This was posted online today by my local paper, it will be a bigger write-up in the full edition tomorrow.

Senate declares wolf emergency
Bill will now pass to governor

By :KATHERINE WUTZ

The Idaho Senate voted yesterday to approve a bill that would allow Gov. Butch Otter to enlist local law enforcement to help kill wolves if he feels they are endangering humans, livestock or wildlife.

"This is a day of reckoning," said Scott Rockholm, a resident of Sandpoint.

Rockholm was one of about a dozen Idahoans who testified in favor of the bill in front of a Senate committee yesterday. The committee passed the bill onto the Senate floor, where it was heard and passed by an overwhelming majority just two hours after leaving committee.

The bill declares a state of emergency and says that wolves threaten the life, liberty and happiness ensured to all Idaho residents by the state and federal constitutions. Proponents of the bill claim that their property, health and safety are threatened by the wolves, which were referred to as "Canadian Gray wolves."

Rockholm said he has wolves on his 40-acre property every day, to the point that he won't let his two young daughters outside alone.

"They couldn't go [down the street] to their aunt and uncle’s house without me being there with a gun,” he said.

Bill opponents argued that it was poorly written, violated the state Constitution and would compromise any possible progress toward wolf delisting in the state.

Last spring, Idaho gave permission to 5 outfitters and their guides to shoot wolves while guiding spring bear in the Lolo zone. Each outfitter was allowed 5 i believe, but they werent tags to be given to clients, it was strictly to the guides and outfitter. They did this because the hunt in the Lolo did not reach the objectives they had hoped for. I never did hear how many ended up being shot by those outfitters.

Between those guides I have heard triple digits. From good sources. They try to tell us they think the wolf populations are down, trying to down play the reproductive rates of dogs. Yes they do reproduce differently than domestics, but really now.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter is hopeful Congress will delist wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains, so he's waiting to see what happens in Washington, D.C. before signing a bill that would allow him to declare a wolf disaster emergency in Idaho.

If Congress follows through, Otter says Idaho would win state control of the predators - making signing the measure passed by the state Idaho House and Senate this month unnecessary.

Otter says the congressional delisting measure inserted into a complex federal budget measure by U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson "gives control back to the state...where it should have been all along."

Idaho's measure would let Otter enlist local law enforcement agents to reduce Idaho's wolf population, which at 800 animals makes up about half of the wolves in the region.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Like I stated above, last year we had over 1100 in this state they said...funny how they now are saying 700-800.

Last edited by wolftalonID; 04-14-2011 at 08:40 PM.
Reason: added comment to end.